I'm extraordinarily excited to announce that ROCK PAPER SCISSORS: A Lizzy Ballard Thriller is now available in audiobook format on Amazon and Audible!

As with the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels THE SENSE OF DEATH and THE SENSE OF RECKONING, I found the audiobook production to be fascinating (and fun), and thought you'd enjoy a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the process!

The first step was finding a narrator. The Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX) acts as a matchmaker between authors / publishers and narrator / producers. I posted an excerpt (Lizzy and Owen in the diner when Owen gets final confirmation of what Lizzy's special ability is) and specified the voice characteristics I was looking for (American female with no pronounced regional accent, between twenty and forty years old, straightforward style, etc.) and waited for the auditions to come in. I also solicited auditions from a couple of narrator / producers whose work I admired.

Then I listened to over forty renditions of my posted scene, noting the pros and cons of each audition, and providing ratings of the performance (because after a dozen or so, they all blend together if you're relying on memory alone). In a few cases, where I generally liked an audition but had a specific reservation about it, I followed up with the narrator, asking if she would submit a slightly modified version. My most common request was related to the performance of Lizzy as a young girl. I wanted the language rather than the intonation to convey Lizzy's age, because I can think of few things more annoying than listening to an adult talk in a high, piping child's voice for several chapters.

The competition was stiff, but in the end the stand-out performance came from the talented Victoria Matlock. Victoria not only has a lovely voice, but also the dramatic background to bring the story to life--check out her professional qualifications at https://www.victoriamatlock.com/.

It turned out that Victoria was not only a wonderful narrator, but a wonderful partner in the production of the audiobook--including patiently re-recording the many instances of "Paoli" when I failed to include its local pronunciation ("pay-OH-lee") in the guide I provided.

There are few things more exciting than hearing one's written words being brought to life by a talented narrator, and I can't wait for fans of Lizzy Ballard--existing and new--to experience her story through Victoria's performance! When you've had a chance to listen, post a comment and let me know what you think!